- Any casino taking bets from people in Great Britain must hold a Gambling Commission licence, wherever it is based.
- Check the licence on the Commission’s public register: it should be Active and list the exact web address you are using.
- A licence from Curaçao or another regulator does not bring British protections such as free dispute resolution or GAMSTOP.
A licence badge in a casino footer is a claim, not proof. This guide shows how to check a licence against the regulator's own records, what each part of a register entry means, and what a licence from outside Great Britain does and does not give you. The examples come from the Gambling Commission's public register and from the offshore brands we have researched for our sister site guides.
The legal position is simple. Since 1 November 2014, any business offering gambling to people in Great Britain has needed a Gambling Commission licence, wherever it is based. Offering remote gambling here without one is an offence under section 33 of the Gambling Act 2005, and the Commission says an unlicensed operator is acting illegally and can have its payment facilities withdrawn by card schemes and payment firms.
Why the licence matters
The licence decides which rules protect your account. A Gambling Commission licence brings age and identity checks before you deposit, the 10x cap on bonus wagering, the ban on cancelling a withdrawal, stake limits on online slots, GAMSTOP self-exclusion, rules on protecting customer funds and a free route to an independent adjudicator if a complaint is not resolved.
None of those protections follow you to a site licensed only elsewhere. The site can look identical and take the same payment methods, but the rules behind the account are set by the regulator that licenses it. That is why the check is worth the few minutes it takes.
Where to verify it
- Find the licence details on the site
Scroll to the footer or open the terms. A British licensee must show, on every screen where you can gamble, a statement that it is licensed and regulated by the Gambling Commission, its account number and a link to its entry on the Commission's register. - Search the public register
Go to the Commission's public register and search by business name, trading name, domain name or account number. It held 2,636 records when we checked on 28 September 2026. - Check the status of the licence
Open the entry and read the licence summary. An online casino needs a remote casino licence, and it should show as Active. - Check the web address
Open the domain names tab and confirm the exact address in your browser is listed as Active or White label under that business. - Read the regulatory actions
The last tab lists sanctions and settlements. A history of penalties does not stop a site trading, but it tells you how the operator has handled its obligations.
What the register tells you
Each entry follows the same layout. The table below explains the fields in the Commission's own terms.
| Field | What it means | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| Account number | The business's unique reference number | It matches the number in the site's footer |
| Account name | The legal name of the business | This company, not the brand, holds your account |
| Licence status | Active, Suspended, Revoked or Surrendered | Only Active allows the business to take your bets |
| Domain names | Websites the business has told the Commission about | The address you are on is listed as Active or White label |
| Regulatory actions | Sanctions or settlements imposed by the Commission | How many, how recent and what for |
The register is only as current as the information behind it. The Commission notes that domain and trading names are supplied by the business, and that it cannot guarantee information provided by third parties. A missing domain is therefore a reason to ask the operator, not proof of wrongdoing, but a domain listed under a different company is a reason to stop.
Status changes, and what they mean for your money
Licences change status more often than players expect. On 21 September 2026 the Commission suspended the remote licence of Targetlocal Ltd, which trades as Ken Howell's Sports Betting, after enquiries revealed anti-money laundering failings. Its register entry now shows the remote casino and betting licences as Suspended, while its separate licence for betting shops remains Active.
A suspension stops a business taking new bets, but it does not trap your balance. In both the Targetlocal case and the suspension of BresBet Ltd and Bet St George Ltd on 28 August 2026, the Commission said the operators could still let customers access their accounts and withdraw. BresBet and Bet St George then surrendered their licences on 4 September 2026, and the register now shows them as Surrendered.
Settlements appear under regulatory actions. On 20 August 2026, QuinnBet (Gibraltar) Limited agreed to pay £609,104 after an investigation found anti-money laundering and social responsibility failures. One example in the Commission's statement was a customer whose payslips showed earnings of about £2,000 a month who deposited and lost £9,000 in 4 days.
Brands, companies and white labels
The name on the website is often not the name on the licence. One licensee can run many brands, and the register shows them all under one account. L&L Europe Limited, for example, holds a single remote casino licence and lists 8 active domains, including casinocasino.com, funcasino.com and pubcasino.co.uk. Those are sister sites in the plainest sense: one company, one licence, several brands.
White labels go one step further. A licensed company runs the gambling for brands that other businesses own and market. The Commission's position is that responsibility for every white-label site sits with the licence holder and cannot be transferred to anyone else, and the register tags such domains "White label". ProgressPlay Limited's entry listed 95 domains with that tag when we checked. Our guide to casino sister sites explains the different relationships and what each one changes for a player.
Licences from other regulators
You will also see licences from regulators such as the Malta Gaming Authority, the Gibraltar authorities and Curaçao. These are real regulators, and several publish their own registers: the Malta Gaming Authority encourages the public to verify any operator through its licensee register. A licence from any of them does not, by itself, allow a company to take bets from people in Great Britain.
Curaçao changed its system recently. Its National Ordinance on Games of Chance came into force on 24 December 2024, and the Curaçao Gaming Authority now issues licences directly instead of through the 4 master licence holders of the old system. The authority's rules say a genuine seal must link to cert.cga.cw and show the exact domain you are on; a certificate for a different domain should be treated as unauthorised. It also publishes a registry of online licences as a PDF, and it states that it does not handle individual complaints against gaming providers.
We ran this check on the 7 brands in our sister site guides. Rolletto, Velobet, Cosmobet, Goldenbet and Zizobet name Santeda International B.V. and Curaçao licence OGL/2024/1798/1048 in their company details. MyStake and Donbet name GTW B.V. and OGL/2024/250/0115. None of the 7 holds a Gambling Commission licence.
The registry adds the part a footer cannot. In the edition dated 21 September 2026, both licences show an expiry date of 24 December 2025 and a status of "Assessment in progress". Separately, trade press reported in May 2026 that both companies had been dissolved, while the sites kept trading. A footer can name a company that no longer answers for the site, which is why the registry and the date of the check both matter.
What happens if something goes wrong
At a British-licensed site, you complain to the operator first. If it cannot resolve the complaint within 8 weeks, it must let you take the dispute to an approved Alternative Dispute Resolution provider, and that service must be free to you. The Commission approves 8 providers, including IBAS, CEDR and eCOGRA.
Your balance is also covered by a disclosed level of protection. Every British licensee must say in its terms whether customer funds are not protected, have medium protection or have high protection if the business becomes insolvent. At the high level, the money sits in a separate account controlled by an independent trustee; at the lowest, you would likely lose it. Since 31 October 2025, a business whose funds are not protected must remind you of that every 6 months.
Offshore, those routes may not exist. The Curaçao authority does not take player complaints, so a dispute depends on the operator's own process, and on whether the company named in the footer still exists.
Worth remembering
A licence tells you who regulates the operator and which rules apply. It does not tell you that an offer is good value, so read the terms of anything you sign up for, starting with our guide to bonus terms.
Common questions
How do I check if a casino is licensed in the UK?
Search the Gambling Commission's public register by the site's name, domain or account number. The entry should show an Active remote casino licence and list the exact web address you are using.
What if I cannot find a licence number?
Treat it as a warning sign. British licensees must show their account number and a link to the register on every gambling screen, so ask support and do not deposit until you have checked the answer.
What does a suspended licence mean for my balance?
The operator cannot take new bets, but the Commission's recent suspensions still allowed customers to access their accounts and withdraw. Withdraw your balance and check the register for updates.
Is a Curaçao licence valid in the UK?
No. A Curaçao licence does not allow an operator to take bets from people in Great Britain, which needs a Gambling Commission licence.
Can a casino use another company's licence?
Yes, through a white-label arrangement. The licence holder remains responsible for the site, and the register lists the domain under the licence holder's account.
Does a licence mean I will always be paid?
No, but it gives you routes if you are not. A British licensee must let you take an unresolved complaint to a free independent adjudicator after 8 weeks.
Is my money protected if a casino goes bust?
It depends on the level the operator declares in its terms: not protected, medium or high. Only high protection keeps your money in a separate account controlled by an independent trustee.
Why does the register not list a site I use?
Domain names are supplied by the business, so the list can lag. If the address is missing, ask the operator which licence covers it before you deposit.